All things Deadly
by ShadowElite
Summary: Kaoru Kamiya had never made any mistakes in any of her assignments. But when she makes a fatal one, it drags her deeper into the murky depths of Battousai's world. Questioning everything she believes in. KxK
1. Chapter 1

**All Things Deadly**

By: ShadowElite

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine. Sigh

An: Anyway, was bored of reading the same type of assassin, kidnappish fanfics, so I decided to do my own version where Kaoru isn't that weak and some other stuff which I can't say now, as it would ruin the whole thing. So, yeah.

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"Kurochou. The boss calls for you," said a messenger who bowed to a woman, who was fastening her dagger.

"I'll be there." She answered in a clipped tone. The messenger nodded and walked away bristly, fearing the woman that was said to have matched the legendary Battousai, could kill him in a spilt instant without hesitation.

She walked across the dimly lit corridor to Yamita-san office.

She opened the door and closed it gently. "Kurochou. Please have a seat." Smiled Yamita-san.

"I prefer standing up." She replied.

She crossed her arms, looking coldly at Yamita-san. "Why did you call me?"

"Straight to the point I see. Well, I need you to kill Battousai."

"Battousai?" she asked with a calm questioning tone, while others would have shivered at the mere whisper of that legendary manslayer.

"He has been killing my connections and my deals have been made unsuccessful because of him. I need you to get rid of him as soon as possible."

She gave a brief nod and walked out of the office, not bothering to close the door behind her.

She walked silently to her small apartment in the huge building. She was offered a room much more spacious but she denied. She didn't need any luxuries of any kind. She was here only to do her job.

She placed her dagger neatly on the mahogany table along with her kunai that she usually carried with her on assassinations.

'Battousai.' She thought to herself. She had heard many stories on Battousai, how he killed his victims and how no one saw him kill and lived to tell the tale. Personally, she was a bit impressed by how he killed his victims. He didn't leave a bloody mess like novice killers. His killings were swift and clean, leaving no clue to who had killed them. After killing hundreds of important people involved in the underground world, she expected him to slip up on one of his killings and leave an important clue to his true identity. But that never happened.

She flipped through the file on Battousai that was sent to her room. He was said to be meeting his boss at the White Fang Club. It was the perfect location for a kill. She could slip in easily and finish her job.

Furthermore, she had noticed that in every assassination, Battousai had never killed a female before. 'Could it be that Battousai could not kill women?'

She decided to play that to her advantage. She took out a revealing pale blue dress designed to accentuate her curves and bring out her best features. She did up her hair in a simple French twist leaving a few curls to frame her face. She placed two kunai into her hair, just in case she may need them

'Battousai will know at once that I'm a woman.' She smirked to herself. 'What will he do then?'

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Yumi tapped her foot impatiently on the floor as she sipped her cherry vodka. She glanced at the entrance every now and then, as if searching for someone.

"Missed me?" Kaoru asked, as she slipped into a seat next to hers.

She snorted. "As if."

"Your usual?" The barman asked.

Kaoru shook her head. " Not this time, Mario. I need my head clear. Just give me a sparkling water."

"Kaoru?" Yumi asked, astonished. " Who are you dealing with this time?"

'I can't tell you that, can I?" Kaoru said with a smile. "But I can give you a clue. He is the only person that is worth challenging."

Yumi's eyes widen in surprise. "It can't be _him_, can it? The famous Ba-"

Kaoru pressed an index finger to her lips. "He is coming here tonight. I will need to act as one of your dancers."

"Sure." Yumi waved her hand dismissively. "My club is always needing a few more dancers like you," She paused, adding a wink. "Kurochou."

Kaoru smiled in return.

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"Katsura. Why am I here?" asked Kenshin.

" We'll discuss it later." Said Katsura as he motioned for Battousai to have a seat.

He sighed inwardly as he sat down, barely watching the women on the stage. He accepted a small glass of vodka from the young waitress as he looked at the dancers on stage. None of them looked interesting; it was just the normal group of girls that danced. Pretty mediocre. He took a sip from his drink as he watched dispassionately at the stage.

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"Kaoru, are you ready?" Yumi asked.

Kaoru grinned. "Have you ever seen me not prepared?"

Yumi smiled. "Then show them some stuff, kid."

"You bet I will."

The ladies parted a way for Kaoru, as she sauntered her way to the middle of the stage.

_Ya know, I don't know what it is  
But everything about you is so irresistible._

She gazed right into Battousai's eyes and gave a wink. She licked her lips suggestively as she slid to the floor and came back up.

_Don't you try to tell me that he's not my type  
To hide what I feel inside  
When he makes me weak with desire  
I know that I'm supposed to make him wait  
Let him think I like the chase  
But I can't stop fanning the fire  
I know I'm meant to say no_

She did a shimmy to the left and to the right before turning her gaze to another group of men. She continued her seductive movements, never forgetting to throw an occasional smile at Battousai.

_He's irresistible  
up close and personal  
Now inescapable  
I can hardly breathe  
More than just physical  
Deeper than spiritual  
His ways are powerful  
Irresistible to me _

She finished off the dance with a kiss blown at Battousai, as she sauntered off. ' I have you now, Battousai.' She smirked.

Yumi watched amusedly as her own dancers stopped and stared at Kaoru. "Now, that is how it is done, girls."

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_  
_Kenshin watched as the young lady walked off the stage.

'She is one hell of an enchantress.' Kenshin gripped his drink tightly. Seeing her move, but not being able to grab her was torture. He had almost wanted to kill every single man that looked upon her delicious body. But only a thin shred of self-control held him back.

Katsura smirked at Kenshin's intense gaze at the raven-haired beauty.

The Battousai finally got his eyes on a woman.

Kastura beckoned for the lady owner of the club to come and join them. Yumi smiled politely as she whispered to Kaoru. "You definitely got them interested."

She walked towards the pair and greeted Kastura politely.

"Who was that woman on stage?" he asked, knowing Kenshin was listening.

"She's Kaoru Kamiya, and if you'd like, I could ask her to come over."

Kastura nodded and whispered in her ear. Yumi nodded in assent as she gestured for Kaoru to come over.

Kaoru walked over with a smile.

"This is Kaoru Kamiya. She is one of our most talented dancers."

"I am delighted to meet your acquaintance." Kaoru said with a shy smile.

"Same here." Kastura chuckled.

"Kaoru, this is Kastura-san," Yumi said. " Now, I must leave. I still have to attend to my other customers."

"I shall leave them in your capable hands, Kaoru-chan." Yumi said with a wink as she left them.

Kastura gestured to the seat next to Kenshin. "Take a seat, Kamiya-san."

Kaoru laughed " Maa,maa Kastura-san, must you use such formalities? You can just call me Kaoru."

As she sat down, she deliberately brushed her arm against Kenshin's shoulder. "Oh. I'm sorry. Who might you be?"

"He is Kenshin." Said Kastura. "I hope your presence will make him lighten up." He added with a small chuckle.

"Oh, I will." Kaoru said with a devilish smile.

"So, Kastura-san. What do you work as?"

"I just own a relatively small trading company." Kastura replied vaguely.

Kaoru smirked internally. 'Small trading company? And I'll eat my own socks.'

"How about you, Kenshin-kun?"

"I..I" He hesitated. 'I kill people? That sounds bad.'

"I help out at the trading company."

"Enough about us." Kastura said. "What about you? I trust, you do have another job besides dancing?"

"Yes. Indeed I do. One cannot survive on dancing alone." Kaoru said. "I work at a nearby restaurant. Have you heard of the Akebeko?" She didn't mind letting out a small lie. Furthermore, she did work there for a year.

"No. I have not. Perhaps I would visit there one day." Kastura said.

"Kastura. I believe we have more meaningful things to talk about." Kenshin said coldly. If he did not get rid of the temptress beside him real soon, he wouldn't be able to resist pouncing on her, even with Kastura watching.

Kastura sighed. "As you wish. Kaoru-san, would you please leave us for a moment."

Kaoru nodded politely and left their table.

"Kenshin. Have you heard of a man named Yamita-san?" said Kastura.

"You mean the man who destroyed your first organisation?"

"I'm surprised that you know of this. Yes, indeed. He killed every single one of my men."

"You want me to kill him."

"No." Kastura paused as he sipped his drink." Death is much too easy for him. I want him to suffer the pain of losing everything he worked so hard to gain; to suffer the pain that I suffered. First, I need to destroy his defences. Your mission is to kill Kurochou. She is said to be the best assassin that he has. We don't have much information on how she looks like, only that she have blue eyes and is about 5'1'' to 5'3''. The rest of the details will be found on the black envelope on your table."

Kenshin nodded. Kastura smiled as he changed the subject. " I've seen you have taken interest in Kaoru."

"…"

"I've booked her for you tonight. Have fun."

"Kastura-san!" said Kenshin.

"Have fun." Kastura said with a small wink, before getting up to leave. He tapped Kaoru on the shoulder and pointed to Kenshin. Kaoru gave Kenshin a beguiling smile as she strolled towards him.

"Kenshin." She whispered his name, as she pressed her soft curves to his lean and hard body. She bit on his ear and said breathlessly. "I need you." He growled as he grabbed her hand and led her to the nearest room.

He closed the door hurriedly as Kaoru made open-mouthed kisses at the nape of his neck. He let out a small groan as he turned and grabbed her waist and in a millisecond, he had her pinned to the wall. He kissed her parted lips and probed his tongue in her mouth, exploring and searching. Kaoru kissed back with equal passion while lowering her hand to remove his wakizashi and katana without him noticing.

It was time.

She got her short dagger out and was prepared to thrust him from behind when she made a mistake.

A fatal mistake.

He had felt her blade.

Kenshin's eyes widened as he moved away from her, missing death by inches.

_----  
I,I won't lay down while you lie  
You can't pull the sheets over my eyes  
No compromise…_

-----

'Damn. I almost got him'

Kenshin reached for his katana to find none. He growled. She got his katana and wakizashi untied without him noticing. She must be a professional.

"Who are you?"

"No one you need to know." She said as she attacked him.

He dodged her blow and grabbed his Katana and slid away from the spot. If he were even a millisecond late, he would have been dead. She's fast, he had to give her that. He studied her moves, as he dodged her strikes. Her strikes were clear and precise, her movements were flawless and her speed, incredible. He searched for an opening but he couldn't find any.

Blades clash against each other as they tried to find a chance to defeat each other. At last, Kenshin saw his chance. It was a small chance, just a slight opening in her strike. However, if he missed, even by a millimetre, he would suffer a serious blow. He gritted his teeth. Be damned. He wouldn't be called Battousai if he didn't take a single risk.

He took it. Kaoru felt his sharp blade at her throat and she gritted her teeth, preparing for the worst. She was careless, and now she would pay for it.

She opened her eyes when she felt no pain.

"Who are you?" asked Battousai with the blade still at her throat.

"You don't have to know." Said Kaoru, feeling the blade pressing deeper.

"Tell me, or I'll kill you."

"You'll kill me anyway. So kill me." She said as she leaned forward, drawing a bit of blood.

Kenshin stood there, looking at the drop of blood from her throat. Somehow, he found himself unable to kill her. Without lowering his sword, he felt her body for any sharp objects. Feeling none, he lowered his katana and grabbed his other wakizashi and her short katana. He grabbed her hand and said to her coldly. "You'll be coming with me."

Kaoru followed him out of the room, knowing if she resisted, she'll be killed. He led her to their building and dumped her in his apartment. He glanced at her and said " We are surrounded by assassins so if you attempt to get out, you'll be killed. And even if you do get away, which is highly unlikely, mark my word, you will be found and this time you'll be killed." He chained her hands to his table and went out, locking the door.

Kaoru sighed. It was possible to get out with her skills, but she would have to face disappointment from Yamita-san and possible punishment, plus they would not only be after her, but the whole organisation.

So what for get her entire organisation into hot soup for her lack of obedience?

She'll just have to wait patiently for her owner to come back, like a damn pet. It was lucky that Battousai didn't check her hair, or he would have taken away her kunai. She still had her weapons, no matter how small they are. She could still kill him.

She hasn't lost yet.

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Kenshin locked the door of his apartment and walked down the dim-lit corridor to Kastura's office. _Who is she?_ He frowned as he went through his list of enemies; none of them seemed to be related to her. Could she be a daughter of someone he killed? He quickly crossed out that possibility. It was not possible. She had obviously done this before and she didn't match any of their descriptions. Unless…

His mind went back to the conversation that he had with Kastura.

_Flashback_

"_Your mission is to kill Kurochou. She is said to be the best assassin that he has. We don't have much information on how she looks like, only that she have blue eyes and is about 5'1'' to 5'3''."_

_End of flashback_

Could she be Kurochou? She certainly matches what little description that they had. Then again a lot of women are between 5'1'' to 5'3'' and have blue eyes. But the description of how she kills certainly matches her and he didn't recognise her fighting style.

He slid open the shoji door and stepped in. Kastura lifted his head to look at him with a questioning smile.

"A woman tried to kill me."

"I supposed you had dealt with her."

"No. I brought her here. I wasn't sure who is she and I thought you might like to see her."

"Oh? You don't know who is she?"

"She is the dancer at the club. Kaoru Kamiya. However, I don't think that is her real identity. I believe she might be Kurochou."

"Interesting." Said Kastura as he stood up. "Let's go." Kastura walked out of the room with Kenshin close behind. "I presume she is in your room?"

"Hai."

They walked to his apartment and Kenshin unlocked it. At the click of the door opening, Kaoru looked up. Kastura glanced at Kaoru and motioned for Kenshin to go out of the door to talk. Once Kastura was sure Kaoru couldn't hear, he said. " Don't kill her just yet. She may have valuable information on Yamita-san. If she doesn't say anything by tonight, bring her to the chamber tomorrow."

Kenshin nodded stiffly. The chamber…

He sighed heavily. He would do anything to avoid going to that place. But it seems that he could only prolong the inevitable. Kenshin entered the apartment and locked it behind him. He glanced at Kaoru's torn and dirty dress and sighed inwardly. 'She'll have to make do with my clothes.' He found a black shirt, which he had outgrown of, and a pair of dark blue pants. He unchained her hands and dropped the clothes on her lap.

"Go shower. And to warn you again, you can't escape from the bathroom window as it is much too small for you to go through."

She got up silently, her hand gripping the clothes tightly. 'He has no right to order me around like that.' She thought furiously to herself. 'One day, he's going to get what he deserves; a few hard kicks in the groin.'

Kenshin sighed inwardly as he heard the bathroom door slammed shut. 'I will never get used to having her around.'

_Flashback_

" _Don't kill her just yet. She may have valuable information on Yamita-san. If she doesn't say anything by tonight, bring her to the chamber tomorrow."_

_Flashback_

'Get information out of that woman?' He smiled wryly. 'Yea, like she will open up to her captor. I suppose I'll have to find her weakness and use it against her.'

He sat down and recalled what had happened before. He started with her swordsmanship. Her style was completely different from what was taught here, which showed that she must have learnt it somewhere else. He had a feeling that he had seen her style before, but he couldn't remember when or where. The way she held her dagger, firm and confident, showed that she had done this before. Her footwork was flawless, which proved that she had learnt the style at a young age.

She might be Kurochou…just might be…

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An:Would not be updating this frequently as my major exams are approaching. But, I'll try. Till then! Ja.

-Careful readers may have noticed I have changed my fic's rating to a T, since I think that's more appropriate.


	2. Chapter 2

All Things Deadly

By: ShadowElite

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin's not mine. Never was, never will.

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Kaoru walked out of the bathroom, ignoring the gaze of her red-haired captor. She walked to a nearby chair and sat down, slowly drying her hair.

"Who are you?" Kenshin asked as he watched her dry her hair. She paused in her actions as she replied. "Why are you asking me this now?"

"Just tell me. Are you Kurochou? Telling this might just save you."

"Save me?" Kaoru laughed bitterly. "How the hell would telling something like that save me? Wouldn't it condemn me?"

Kenshin sighed as he whispered softly, "It would certainly save you some pain."

"Huh? What did you say?" asked Kaoru, "I didn't catch it just now."

"Nothing. I didn't say anything. Just…" He hesitated before continuing. "I f you ever want to say…who you really are…I'm here. Before it's too late."

"You are sure weird, Battousai. Telling your captive something like that." He ignored her reply as he pointed to the door beside him. "This leads to the bedroom. You will be sleeping there tonight."

He pushed her to the door. "You can't escape, so don't bother trying."

"You think I don't know that?" She glared at him before opening the door roughly and slamming it in his face.

Kenshin sat back down on his chair. Why did he tell her all that? Why did he offer a second chance? He knew she wasn't going to answer, so why bother even asking? Could it be that he wanted her away from the tortures Kastura will give? If that was the reason, then why did he want her away from it? Honour? He didn't think so. Pride? Doubtful. Pity? Not that much. There were people much worse than her. Care? He paused for a moment. Could it be that he cared for her?

He shrugged off the thought. Assassins don't care for people; they kill them. They are just soulless machines, with no emotions; unable to feel anything.

Well, whatever it is, he wasn't going to let it control him. She is nothing; just a tiny speck of dust.

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"Your breakfast." Kenshin said as he placed a loaf of bread on the table.

Kaoru reached out and tore a small piece out. The taste of the bread was truly disgusting. It was hard and had a sour, grainy aftertaste. "Eww. How long have this bread been here?"

"If you don't want it, then don't eat it. However, don't expect me to give you anything else."

Kaoru glared at Kenshin angrily. She reluctantly took a few bites and washed them down with a glass of water.

She placed the glass back on the table and stared at the glass for a moment before questioning, "Hey, will I see you again?"

"See me?" replied Kenshin, surprised.

"Yeah, like talk to you again or whatever."

There was a moment of silence before Kenshin answered.

"Maybe."

Kaoru smiled bitterly as she got up from her chair. "Maybe, huh? That's a nice replacement for 'no'."

"Time to leave." Kenshin said, ignoring her last statement.

He led her towards the chamber, passing various staircases and corridors.

"Yo, Kenshin! Where did you snag this babe?" asked one of the men they were passing by.

Kenshin ignored his question as he continued walking.

The man grabbed Kaoru by her arm and winked. " Why don't you join me instead of that scrawny fella?"

Kaoru give a look of disgust and attempted to pull her arm away, but the man just held on even tighter.

"Now, sweetie, let's go to my room, shall we?" He grabbed her waist and pulled her into his arms.

Kenshin paused in his steps and said in a soft but deadly tone. "Let go of her."

The man let out a bark of laughter. "You think you can stop me?"

"Do not force me." Kenshin warned in a low tone. The other men looked nervously at Kenshin, murmuring in low tones.

"I don't get why everyone is so scared of you. They are all just cowards. Let me tell you, Battousai, " He scorned at the name. "I'm not a single bit afraid of you."

He spitted on the ground. "Just a scrawny brat."

Before anyone could see it coming, Kenshin had the man pinned to the ground with just one strike.

"One more smart-assed comment like that, you can kiss your pathetic life goodbye."

Without caring whether Kaoru followed or not, he walked on.

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Kaoru was led into a room with only a small ceiling light. The walls were old and painting was peeling off, some parts had dark stains on them, which looked like dried blood. A small metal chair was placed in the middle.

"Welcome Kamiya-san." Kastura said with a mocking smile. "Or should I say, Kuro Chou?"

Kaoru remained silent.

"Why, are you afraid of me, Kuro chou?"

"I am not the person you speak of."

"We shall see about that." He snapped his fingers and two burly looking men grabbed her arms from behind and forced her to sit on that metal chair. They tied her firmly to the chair, ignoring her yells and kicks. One electrode was attached to her head and a second attached to her leg. This was to provide a closed circuit.

"Have you checked the equipment?" asked Kastura.

"Yes, Kastura-san. It is really to be used." Answered Kenshin in a stiff tone. He looked at Kaoru's smooth skin with regret. Assassin or not, no woman should be put under such torture.

"Tell me who you are."

"Kaoru Kamiya."

"Wrong answer."

Kaoru felt a jolt of electricity going through her body and let a surprised gasp.

"That was approximately 5mA of current. A relatively harmless shock. The electric chair you are sitting on is different from the usual ones. It is not made for execution, but for torture."

"You are despicable."

Kastura let out a low chuckle. "Glad you realised. So, are you going to tell me the truth or not?"

"Don't kid yourself. I am not the person you think I am."

'Damn. This is going bad. I need to escape.' She looked around and frowned inwardly. 'No good…two bodyguards, one assassin, no windows.'

"Indeed. Any woman made of lesser material would have blurted out their deepest secrets in fear. I admire you, Kamiya. See if you can handle 10mA."

Kaoru gritted her teeth as she felt her muscles contract violently and a hot, burning sensation under her skin.

Kastura stopped the current and asked again, "Are you ready to tell me now?"

"I have no secrets!"

Kaoru's muscles ached with pain, causing her to bit her lip, drawing blood. She barely had a breather before the torture began.

"20mA."

This time, the pain was unbearable. Her body felt like it was on fire. Unable to stop herself, she screamed out in pain.

"Who are you working for?"

"I work for no one! No one!" She screamed out.

Kastura sighed.

Driven by an unknown urge, Kenshin felt the need to protect her from further damage. Taking a risk, he spoke up. "Kastura-san. I think that is enough. Any more, she might slip into unconsciousness, which is of no use for us."

"True." He motioned to his bodyguards to release her. "Bring her in here tomorrow morning."

Kenshin nodded and lifted Kaoru off the chair. He could feel her muscles still contracting and feel the heat through his insulating gloves.

"Make sure she does not escape." Added Kastura as he left the room with his two bodyguards.

Kenshin watched Katsura walk out of the room with a grim face. Kastura was not finished with torturing this girl and he knew he would not stop until the girl was dead. Knew it too well.

_Flashback_

"_I don't know! I don't know!" screamed a young woman._

_She was sitting in the exact same chair in the dark, blood-spattered room. Her skin was severely burned and she was having trouble breathing. Her pulse was faint and blood was dripping out of her wounds._

"_Don't lie to me, woman! Tell me now!" demanded Kastura._

"_I am not lying!" The woman cried desperately. She looked towards the crimson-haired man standing in the shadows and pleaded, "Save me! Sav-"_

_She let out an ear-piercing shriek as she felt the current burn through her skin, burning her internal organs, finally, stopping her heart. The woman looked at the man with a soft smile before falling unconscious. _

_Never to be woken up again._

_Flashback_

He looked down at the woman in his arms and imagined her dead, imagined her cold. Will he be unable to save her, as he had been unable to save that lady? Will he be adding one more scream to torment him in the night?

He did not know. He did not want to know.

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Kaoru opened her eyes and stared into a ceiling that was not hers. She had a most horrible nightmare involving her being strapped to a electric chair and that she—

Wait. That wasn't a nightmare.

It was _real. _And it wasn't going to end anytime soon. She absolutely HAD to escape. Forgetting that she was injured, she sat up abruptly. She immediately winced as she felt full force of her injuries. How could she frigging escape with this wounds?

"You shouldn't be up."

She looked up and spotted the crimson-haired man leaning against the doorpost.

"Here." He threw a small object to her. "It is for your burns."

"I don't need it. I can manage just fine." She said with a glare.

He ignored her retort as he closed the door behind him. What was he expecting anyway? A 'thank you'?

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She seriously doubted that this plan would work. One, she was not fully healed. Second, she would not be able to escape the eyes of her captor unless he was really blind or something.

Ah well, she was going to get killed anyway; it was just a matter of time. Better to get killed on her terms. She slipped out of the bedroom as soundless as possible, ignoring her captor sitting against a wall with his head bent. She frowned. Weird. The front door was not locked. Why would he be so careless? This must be a trap.

She peered out into the corridor, expecting to get caught for trying to escape. To her utmost surprise, there was no one there. Strange. Did Battousai actually want her to escape? She slipped out of the apartment and slowly crept towards the stairs.

As the door clicked closed, he opened his eyes and got off the ground and followed her. He watched as she fiddled with the lock on the window and slid the window open. He heard movement from the right and glanced at the girl still on the ledge. She had not noticed their presence. Having no choice, he threw two kunai at them, effectively silencing them. There was a soft bump on the ground as the guards fell and the girl turned her head towards the noise before leaping out into the open night.

Kenshin walked back into his room and went into the kitchen. He took a bottle from his cupboard and emptied half of its contents into a clean glass. He picked up the glass and drank deeply. After a few seconds, he collapsed on the ground.

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"That girl escaped?" Kastura yelled, eyes burning with anger.

"She escaped through one of the windows and escaped into the forest." The poor man delivering the news was trembling from head to foot.

"Escaped? Bring Himura to me! Let him explain how a mere girl could escape Battousai!"

The man nodded vigorously and sped out of the door.

"You called me, sir?"

Kastura turned around and glared at Kenshin. "Explain!"

"She drugged my drink and by the time I woke up, she had left the compound." He lied smoothly.

"I am extremely displeased with your performance tonight. You are to bring her back here."

"Yes sir."

Kastura looked Kenshin in the eye and said. "Do not disappoint me again."

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Kaoru knocked on the door, with her slightly dirty hand and waited patiently for the door to open.

Misao yawned as she opened the front door. "Kaoru, why the hell are you here so late? It is 1am in the morning, you frigging idiot." She rubbed her eyes of sleep and peered at Kaoru closely. Kaoru's clothes were filled with mud and there were small cuts along her arms and legs due to the rough surface of the trees. "What happened to-"

Kaoru covered her mouth and whispered. "Not now. We are in the open."

"Oh yeah. Sorry. Come in."

Kaoru closed the door behind her and sat down on one of the chairs.

"Are you gonna tell me now?"

"No."

"Kaoru, tell me! It must be big if you are all bruised like that. Did you get an electric shock or something? Your skin is peeling and some parts are a bit blackish."

"It serves no purpose to tell you. I need a new look and my weapons." Replied Kaoru. If only Misao knew how close she was to the truth.

"You only talk about serious stuff do ya." Misao rolled her eyes. "I'll get your stuff. You go shower and clean yourself up. I don't want my carpet dirty."

Kaoru took a quick shower and put on a clean pair of shorts and a long sleeved shirt to hide her bruises.

"Are you dying your hair?" asked Misao as she rummaged through her wide range of hair dyes. "Which colour?"

Kaoru thought for a moment. "Red. No wait. Brown." Why was she thinking of him at this time?

"Brown?"

"Yes."

"But red will look much better on you."

"It's my decision."

"Very well." Misao said with a sigh. She tossed the bottle to Kaoru, who catched it silently.

"What weapons do you need?"

"Preferably a dagger." Kaoru walked into the bathroom again and poured the dye onto her hair and rinsing it with water after a couple of minutes. She dried her hair and applied lipstick and eye shadow.

"Do you need some ointment for your burns?" yelled Misao from across the room.

"No. I have some." Kaoru took out the ointment that Kenshin had given her and applied it on her burns. It was no use to leave it there anyway.

"Who gave you that?" asked Misao curiously as she walked back with the weapon in her hands.

"Must it be from someone?" answered Kaoru testily.

"Should be." She peered closer at the object. "See? No brand name. Plus it looks stronger than the feeble ones out in the market these days. Who is it from?"

"No one."

"Kaoru, you never tell me anything!" Misao groaned. Kaoru tucked the dagger into her pocket. She opened the front door and walked out.

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"Kurochou. Have you completed your mission?" asked Yamita as Kaoru walked into the room.

"No. I'm afraid, I have to decline this assignment."

"Reason?"

"My abilities at this point cannot defeat him."

"That is indeed a pity. You do know you are arguably the best among all the assassins I have right?"

"I am truly sorry." Replied Kaoru, bowing her head.

"You will have to work hard and make sure no one touches my clients then."

"Understood." She bowed her head again and left the room.

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An: Kaoru isn't really a seducer-killing-type. She only used that tactic because she knew she could not have gotten any chance at all if she just approached him like that.

Kuro Chou – Black Butterfly

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Links to where I got the info on electric shocks and of that sort.

http:// en. wikipedia. org/ wiki/ Electricshock

http:// www. All about circuits. com/vol1/ chpt3/2. html

(Take out the spaces)


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